MAGNETIC WRENCH HOLDER

I bought two sets of professional wrenches. There are 14 wrenches in each set and they came in a plastic holder. The first time I took out one of the wrenches, one of the little plastic tabs that holds them in, broke. I had already had bought some magnetic holders for my stubby wrench sets, but they were no longer available, so I decided to make my own.  Here is how I did it and they work great.

MATERIALS:


64 - 1 " L-brackets (8 for optional handles)
56 - Rare earth magnets
2 - Pieces of 3/4" plywood cut to size to fit your tool box drawer (Mine were 6" X 14")
Wood screws
2 - wooden dowels from foam paint brushes (optional)

TOOLS:

Power drill
5/16" drill
Vice
Plastic head hammer
Ruler

INSTRUCTIONS;

This entire project is dependant on the number of wrenches you have and the size of you tool box. The basics are the same and you will have to determine your own measurements. I purchased the rare earth magnets from a local store called Princess Auto. The L-Brackets from home depot.  

To start with you have to drill out one of the holes in each L-Bracket to 5/16". The magnets are just slightly bigger than 5/16' so the magnets have to be tapped into place and then pressed into the hole in your vice and they hold very firmly. Once you have all the holes drilled and the magnets installed, you will have to bend the L-Brackets to a bit of an angle.  Place the L-Brackets in a vice, put your ruler on the top of your vice jaws and squeeze the L-Bracket until there is 1/2" between the jaws. This gives you a great angle on the L-Brackets so that your wrenches can be stored and easy to read the size.

Now  that you have all your brackets ready,  get a piece of scrap wood and layout the pattern for your wrenches. Screw the brackets onto the piece of scrap wood so you are happy with the layout. Once this is done, take your good piece of plywood, cut to size to fit your wrenches and tool box drawer. I painted mine, but this is optional.  

Now you can transfer the brackets from the scrap wood to the final piece of good wood. Once this is done, place all your wrenches in the holder. You can fine tune the brackets with a pair of pliers to get all the angles just right. On mine, I opted to put a couple of handles on the tray to carry them if need be.  I used the same L-Brackets and the wooden dowels from foam paint brushes. Screwed all of these together, one on the end of the tray and one on top. (See photos) For these L-Brackets, I rounded the corners to eliminate the sharp edges.  

Although this is a easy project, it is labor intensive, but the results are great.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me and I will answer any questions or concerns you might have.  Enjoy.